TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME!

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I just finished reading The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson. Truth be told, it's been sitting in my pile for sometime and it's a level T so that means a couple hours for a "grown up" reader! But I digress, the year is 1948, the hero is Jackie Robinson and the author of this mostly true story is Jackie Robinson's daughter Sharon. I absolutely love the cover and would reinforce one of my favorite teaching mantras, "every picture tells a story." We would start by looking at the picture and imagine what the story might be about. The story is a perfect read for baseball season in 3rd or 4th grade - with a teacher leading and in addition to presenting a love of family and baseball it touches themes of friendship, prejudice and self-control. If you see your students every day you could easily read this book in two weeks. 

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Other books that could also be read with this title include the following:
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord
Testing the Ice by Sharon Robinson & Kadir Nelson
Who was Jackie Robinson? by Gail Herman
We Are The Ship Story and Paintings by Kadir Nelson
Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey

The list is actually endless when it comes to forming a cohesive, meaningful and FUN unit around these books. In book me if you need assistance, otherwise let me know if you do a unit like these and how it goes.

Check your library or shop your local indie bookstore.

Check your library or shop your local indie bookstore.

Here are a few more resources to add to your planning:
http://www.scholastic.com/motherdaughterbookclub/pdf/Scholastic-MDBC-HeroTwoDoorsDown.pdf
https://www.floridamediaed.org/uploads/6/1/4/2/61420659/2017es-herotwodoorsdown.pdf

https://www.mlb.com/mlb-together/jackie-robinson-day

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WISHTREE

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Some of the most meaningful lessons are the ones that come from unexpected people, places and things. Katherine Applegate, author of Newbery-Medal Award winner The One and Only Ivan, continues to distinguish herself for helping young and old readers alike understand complex themes while providing meaningful doable solutions. I particularly enjoyed Dominique Browning's review in The New York Times but only read it after I finished the book. If you are looking for a great read for your classroom to teach tolerance this may be for you. I would plan it for a March/April read culminating in a May 1st wishtree event. However, wishtree is a good read anytime and has many different possible lesson extensions from a science unit on trees to a focus on fact vs. opinion. I also believe this book would be a great family/home schooler read. Check out Common Sense Media's review if you want more information before you read it. I've also included the book trailer below. Email me if you need more ideas to teach with this wonderful story.

CHOOSE KINDNESS!

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I've made a few tweets and Facebook posts about the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio and the movie that opens November 17th. Wonder is a fabulous book and the movie looks like it will be similarly fantastic. Those who know me know that I'm a huge fan of reading the book first but you can still check out the movie trailer below. This is a great family read (20 minutes a day!) and perfect for an upper elementary and/or lower middle school class. Ultimately Wonder is a great book that anyone at any age will love.

MS. M'S MATERIALS - WONDERSTRUCK!

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I recently had the opportunity to watch the Wonderstruck movie. I loved the casting choices and thought the different actors gave stellar performances. Overall the movie does not flow as well as the book and so once again I say, please read the book first! When I used this book in my classroom the movie was not out yet and I made my own DVD including David Bowie's Space Oddity video. Now you can include viewing the movie as a culminating activity. Here's a link to Brian Selznick's Wonderstruck page.
One of my favorite activities after reading Wonderstruck with my 4th and 5th grade students was making Museum Books. The Museum Books had 4 rooms that they curated to explain their topic. Student topics included New York City in 1977, Lightning Safety, The Panorama Museum and the Gunflint Lake Region. I shared my own model of the book as we read Wonderstruck and they couldn't wait to do their own. Museum Books can be created for many different books or research  projects. Contact me for more information.

One of the rooms in my model.